Every once in a while I go through my old recipe box and come across a recipe that use to be a part of our regular menu rotation. This Italian Pasta Bake is a casserole that use to be my go to recipe for pot lucks, feeding hungry groups of teenagers or to take to a family who needed a meal brought in. It is super easy to make, can be made ahead of time, refrigerated and baked later, reheats well and is easy on the budget. More importantly it’s delicious! I have to admit I am not a huge fan of pasta but I do like this dish.

You can adapt this recipe to your liking, use low fat turkey Italian sausage in place of ground beef, provolone cheese instead of mozzarella, homemade marinara sauce instead of store bought, add some mushrooms and top with a little fresh basil if you have it. It’s cheesy deliciousness!

I have also made a successful lower-fat version using Boca Crumbles and cutting the cheese in half. Of course the original recipe is the best!

3. Stir cooked pasta, pasta sauce, Italian Seasoning and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in with the meat stirring well to combine. Spread into prepared baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with a little Italian seasoning on top of the cheese for color if desired. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Variations: Substitute Boca Crumbles for the ground beef, use half the amount of cheese for a lower fat version. Or try using low fat Italian turkey sausage instead of ground beef, add mushrooms, provolone cheese instead of mozzarella and sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.

Source: Kraft Foods

Nutmeg Notes

Today we had the final inspection on the new Heating & Air system and it passed! I am so happy to have that ordeal over with and not be sharing my house with workers today.

Yesterday the router for our computer system decided to quit working. Well actually it was on and off the day before but yesterday it stopped working all together. When your wireless Internet goes down you realize how much you use it. It was a group effort to get our wireless Internet up and running again. Between our future son in law advising us on what router to go buy and me going to get it – (I am like a fish out of water in a computer store). Then hubby Tom installed the router last night and got all of our computers and printers connected to the sysytem so we are back in business. Today is looking good. 🙂

For dinner it was easy French Dip Sandwiches for the family. They are so quick and easy and can be made assembled ahead of time and held in the refrigerator. Then as everyone trickles in after work or classes they can heat one up in just 15 minutes and microwave the Aujus. I opted for a green salad with chicken and fruit, this time going with pineapple and red grapes – so refreshing!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

I’ve been in a cooking slump lately and could use some inspiration.

What have you been cooking lately? Feel free to leave a link to a recipe you think I might like to try.

Slice zucchini (thickness is up to you, I probably go with about a 1/4 inch since I don’t much like zucchini). Put on cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with pizza toppings of your choice. (I go with sauce, low-fat mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni). Bake about 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Yum.

Funny you should say you’ve been in a cooking slump..I have too! I think it happens to everyone every once in a while. I was caught by this recipe because it sounded so much like something I would never make….so I think I want to make it!
Lately, to mix things up, I’ve been lovely tempeh recipes, and also recipes with portobella mushrooms (like my last post). It’s been fun making Nick eat vegetarian!

I’m not in a cooking slump – I just can’t find TIME to cook right now. I was so excited about my newfound love for cooking last fall and I still am. Got to make it a priority and get back in the groove. That pasta thing looks wonderful. Pasta can be a problem for me – I’m afraid I’d eat it all.

Funny, I was having internet issues myself yesterday. Kept kicking off and then was very, very slow. Decided it must’ve been our weather since it was entire network, not just one computer. All seems resolved today.

I make a similar pasta dish but call it Baked Ziti. Whenever I make sauce with meatballs and sausage, once we’ve eaten as much as we’d like, I freeze the leftwovers. (I cut up the sausages and meatballs first.) Usually a few weeks later all I have to do is thaw out my premade frozen sauce, and put the casserole together. Easy peasy.

I got nuttin’ on the recipe front. I’m in a slump myself but don’t care as I’ll see be on vacation and I’m trying to clear out the fridge and freezer anyway. These days it’s grilling and more grilling 🙂

I’m the last person to suggest any cooking ideas to YOU, but yesterday I made a cooked veggi mix with cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, red cabbage, and onion, then chopped up some San Fran sourdough bread from a recent trip there, and added that to the mix before I cooked it (in the microwave but I’m sure the oven would work) so it was like a casserole, then added fake sausage to one serving and baked grouper to another, but whatever protein source you add probably doesn’t matter. Then sauce it however you like.

Tami says:

Dr J that is a great idea! Don’t you just love San Fran sourdough bread – it’s the best there is! Lucky for us we live close and now we have a Boudin Bakery in our town so we can get that great San Fran sourdough bread whenever we want. Thanks for sharing your meal idea! 🙂

Susan says:

Hi. I’ve just found your website and appreciate your sharing recipes. I look all over for inspiration when I get bored with the same ole’ same ole’. I thought I would share…

Last night I made the Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Shrimp Cocktail (minus sauce) and served it with baked feta (Trader Joes’s light 1PP/oz) and bruschetta sauce (TJ’s 1PP/2TBS), and a thinly sliced baguette. I made a salad of spinach, strawberries, snap peas, feta, and spicy walnuts – tossed in Brianna’s blush vinaigrette. The whole meal calculated to be 15PP and was amazing!

I made something similar to this with your Melt In Your Mouth Sausage recipe a while back. My boys loved it and the leftovers and delicious the next day. You only need to look back through your own recipes for inspiration! 🙂

I’ve been in a cooking slump too. I’m on the constant look out for recipes that are easy that makes tons of food for leftovers.